Bound in Blood and Magic
by Natmonkey
Summary: Jowan doesn't want to be Tranquil, so his friend Amell, only newly a mage, tries to help him and his Chantry initiate escape. Set between "Astoreth does Ferelden" part one and two.


_This is tied in with _Astoreth does Ferelden_, somewhere between part 1 and 2. I only briefly touched upon the subject of Jowan's escape, but because of my latest piece of "art" (click the link on my profile to see my dA page, then go to the Fan Art gallery), I thought I should write a background story. Cheers._

* * *

><p>"Astoreth!" a voice hisses from a dark corner. "Over here!"<p>

"There's no need to whisper so loudly, you know." I casually saunter over to where my friends are hiding. "The templar on duty only just passed by; it will be at least fifteen minutes before he's here again." Oh, this is so exciting! Forbidden love, a daring escape plan... It's like one of those romances for ladies. My heart is thumping with giddiness.

Jowan and Lily step from the shadows. They look a bit dishevelled. Tee-hee. "Oh, well, good," he says nervously, straightening his belt.

"I see you brought the rod of fire." Lily tries to smile, but it looks more like a grimace. She too seems as if she's only an inch away from launching herself into the ceiling from sheer nerves. "I-I hope... getting it wasn't too much trouble for you."

"Nah, no problem." All I had to do was flash a sweet smile at senior enchanter Sweeney, to get him to sign the request form. That far-sighted old man hardly even realized who I was, and he signed for the blasted thing anyway. Even asked me to burn a hole into the pants of a templar he doesn't care for much. For shame. "Come on, let's go. There is no time to lose."

~*|'-'|*~

Well, that is wonderful. As it turns out, the door we were supposed to be going through resists all kinds of magic. Instead, we had to burn through another door and find another way in.

"You don't seem nervous at all." Lily gives me a sidelong glance. She's fidgeting with the dark red sash around her waist, trembling visibly.

"No, I think it's awesome. Think of all the things we've seen!" I never thought I'd fight my way through halls filled with inhuman sentries. Some of them were even headless! Wow...

Sighing, Jowan rolls his eyes. "You think this is one big adventure, don't you?"

"Oh no, Astoreth, you must take this seriously," the Chantry initiate pleads. "It entails considerable risk, for you as well." I like Jowan's non-imaginary girl (I swear I thought he was just saying that to get me off his back), I do, but she's so damned serious. So what if I consider all this an adventure? It just is. Nothing can destroy my good mood. All thanks to Cullen's sweet attentions. Ah...

"Maker, you're right." My fellow mage pulls at my sleeve. "Please, I don't want you to get in trouble for me." For some reason he pulls me into a brotherly hug. I'm not complaining; I like hugs. "Go back to your room, Astoreth. I'm sure we can manage from here."

Lily lays a hand on my shoulder. "Perhaps that is for the best." It doesn't sound like she thinks me leaving them alone is a good idea, though. "Who knows what punishment they might exact on you?"

With my face smooshed against Jowan's chest, I mumble: "Don't be silly, you two." Gently I pry his arms away from me. "I don't care about getting in trouble. You're my friend and I want you to be happy with whomever you want. You deserve it." He has had a tough life so far. And now they want to take away what little happiness he has found here? Not on my watch.

~*|'-'|*~

"Wow, look at all this stuff!" His earlier trepidation forgotten, Jowan starts bouncing around the room and touching everything he can get his hands on. "I didn't know all this was here." Lily is very, very quiet. I bet she will loosen up a little when they are free.

"Stop fooling around, man." I resolutely make for the exit. "There is enough time for you to act like a tourist when you're both far, far away from here." Although I must admit, there are some interesting objects here. Especially this statue here, of some bald youth with a spear.

He coughs, cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "Right, sorry." The sight of the statue stops him dead in his tracks. "There's something odd about this statue."

I don't see anything odd about it. "What's it doing here, you think?"

"How should I know?" Jowan shrugs impatiently. "It must be magical. This is a room of magical ob-..."

"Greetings," an echoing voice suddenly says.

The previously silent Chantry girl gives a frightened little squeal; her lover does almost the same and hides behind me, gasping: "Maker's breath, _did it just say something_?"

Yes. Yes, it did. The statue introduces itself as a lady (I would never have guessed that from her looks) of the ancient Tevinter empire, turned into stone because she foretold that the empire would fall. Apparently the archons didn't like fortune-tellers. Lily has finally found her voice again: "A Tevinter statue! Don't listen to it! The Tevinter lords dabbled in many forbidden arts! This is a wicked thing!"

"Wicked indeed. Is she even still alive in there?" I wonder... If one were trapped in a stone shell for eternity, one would probably not be very happy. And one would probably have to pee very badly.

"Weep not for me, child," the statue echoes. "Stone they made me and stone I am, eternal and unfeeling. And I shall endure 'til the Maker returns to light their fires again."

I raise an eyebrow. Their fires? What? "What on Thedas is that supposed to mean?"

"Ambiguous rubbish, it could mean anything." Jowan rolls his eyes, obviously unimpressed by the wicked Tevinter statue. "Watch, I can do it too." He clears his throat and says in a deep, manly voice: "The sun grows dark, but lo!" Dramatic arm gesture. "Here comes the dawn!"

"Oh, good one!" I can't help but laugh at this silliness, and smack him on the shoulder.

Lily, however, isn't amused. "Stop talking to it, please, both of you! Come on, Jowan, let's go. We still need to find your phylactery."

~*|'-'|*~

Ah, the phylacteries. Mine has already been shipped off to Denerim. Not that I would have destroyed it, mind you. I like it here now. Let's see... Oh, here we are. "Look, this is yours." I pass Jowan the elegant little bottle.

"You found my phylactery!" He snatches it from my hand. His eyes are glowing. "This... fragile vial is all that stands between me and freedom." It seems as if he is in a trance. "So easy just to be rid of it, to end its hold over me..." His grip loosens, and the phylactery shatters on the stone floor. Slivers of glass float in a small pool of blood. On the way out, the man doesn't stop thanking me. He and Lily are all smiles. I'm so happy for the both of them. Everyone should be free to be with the one they love, no matter who that might be. "Without you, we could never have-..." Jowan abruptly shuts his mouth.

The dreaded knight-commander is standing in front of us, accompanied by the first enchanter and a few templars. Uh oh. The knight-commander looks at us with an expression of contempt on his face. Contempt, and disappointment. "An initiate, conspiring with a blood mage." Naturally he too thinks the rumours are true. They can't be.

"G-Greagoir..." Lily staggers back.

"I am disappointed, Lily." The man steps closer, looking her up and down. The poor girl shrinks under his piercing gaze. "She seems shocked, but fully in control of her own mind. Not a thrall of the blood mage, then. And you..." Now those steely eyes fix on me. "Newly a mage, and already flouting the rules of the Circle! What am I to do with you?"

Irving, who usually has nothing but praise for me, also gives us a piece of his mind. "I'm disappointed in you." He sighs deeply. "You could have told me what you knew of this plan, but didn't."

"You don't care for the mages!" my best friend yells unexpectedly. "You just bow to the Chantry's every whim!"

"Don't make this any worse, please," I mutter, poking him in the side with my elbow. "This is bad enough already."

Did I say bad? I meant awful. Greagoir simply sentences Jowan to death, and Lily to be taken to Aeonar. The mages' prison, where the barrier between our world and the Fade is thin, and very nasty things happen. The templars approach, and that's when it gets ugly. It all happens so quickly. The knife that appears in Jowan's hand seems to be conjured from the void. He plunges it into his hand, and this... sea of blood engulfs the templars and Irving. They drop like flies. Lily and myself, it leaves alone. The initiate shakes her head, unbelieving. "By the Maker, blood magic! You said you had never..." I am as surprised as she is. How many times have I asked him about it, and how many times has he denied? Countless times.

"I admit that I dabbled!" her loves babbles frantically. "I thought it would make me a better mage! Please, come with me!" He holds out his bloodstained hands.

"Blood magic is evil, Jowan. It corrupts people, changes them..." Slowly the girl steps back. "I can't believe I... I don't even know you anymore. Get away from me, blood mage."

"Lily, no!" I give her arm a shake. "Not after all this. You have to go!" Stunned, she sinks to the floor and refuses to even look at either of us. That fool destroyed everything. "Jowan, just... Just run. And don't look back." One last glance at Lily, and he runs off as fast as his legs will carry him. Good luck, my friend. I think you'll need it. I sit down beside the poor girl, and lay an arm around her shoulders. She is shivering violently. "I'm so sorry, Lily. I didn't know either." The blood mage's victims are slowly coming to their senses. Wonderful. I wonder what they have in store for me. Well, on the bright side... At least they can't make me Tranquil.


End file.
